So Tender, The Healer's Heart
by issacrocks
Summary: Months have passed since Matthew and his friends restored Alchemy's true glory, and Chalis has come to visit Karis.  But is this visit purely an act of friendship, or is there something deeper here?  First Tendershipping - Karis/Chalis - fic, R&R!


**Hello, everyone! I am very pleased to announce that after several months of intermittent writing periods, I have finally finished what could probably be considered my first ever serious fanfiction. I'm obviously quite nervous at the thought of publishing it, given how I'm relatively new to writing stuff with this much dedication, but I'm also quite excited at hearing what you all think of it :)**

**I would like to thank the people that gave me advice when this was still a work-in-progress once more - you guys know who you are and you're also very awesome. And without further ado, I present to you what (to the best of my knowledge) is the _very first EVER_ Karis/Chalis fanfiction :3**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters, locations, or other as-of-yet canon material in this story. All such material belongs to Camelot. In this story, Karis is 16 and Chalis is her age in Dark Dawn - or 20, if she's already older than that.

(Warning: This story contains minor cursing and mild-moderate sexual content involving an underage teenage girl - not to mention yuri. Don't like, don't read. Overly hateful, negative, and/or non-constructive reviews will be reported.)

(Warning 2: A great deal of content in this story (i.e., who marries who, what happened when, who's a certain type of person, etc.) is not canon or has not yet been confirmed as canon. Some of it was stuff I wrote then just left there out of laziness, some of it stuff I wrote then left there because I liked it that way, some of it stuff that wasn't in Dark Dawn but could be canon in later games - whatever the case, I just thought it would be a good idea to give you all a heads up.)

Golden Sun Dark Dawn: So Tender, the Healer's Heart

"You know, Chalis, I'm still incredibly impressed with the way you and the rest of your nation turned good leaves," Karis said with a beaming face as she carried the teapot over to the table and set it down on the mat. Two months had passed since Weyard had been saved from the Psynergy Vortexes, and in the weeks since, the world and its people had slowly been healing themselves. Tuaparang had been hit the hardest, but nonetheless, I had been given permission to take a few days off to go and enjoy myself. Since Karis - more so than anyone else in Matthew's party - had given a few indications that she'd like to make amends with us "bad guys" and become friends, I decided to visit her and her parents at their cabin near Patcher's Place.

"Yes, it was a rather amazing turn of events, wasn't it?" I replied with a smile as I took the pot and poured some tea into two porcelain cups. Shortly before Matthew, Karis, and their friends had saved the world, all the leaders in Tuaparang, including Blados and I, had realized that trying to take over the rest of the world wouldn't make the trauma of our younger years go away. Therefore, the High Empyror had done his best to provide them with troops (myself and Blados included) to help destroy the alternate universe from which the Psynergy Vortexes originated - which, unfortunately, involved defeating a corrupted Arcanus along the way.

"Mmm-hmm," the young Jupiter Adept replied as she absent-mindedly drummed her fingers on the table. There was silence for a few moments as we took sips of our tea, then she set down her cup and asked cheerfully, "Well, what's happening back at Tuaparang?"

"Glad you asked," I replied as I threw my head back and drained my cup. "Basically, we have two main goals right now. The first is to repair all the damage our continent took when the Mourning Moon that popped up in the center of our empire was destroyed. The second is to take much of the emphasis off of our military and onto other aspects of a balanced life, such as engaging in trade or re-developing our old culture from before we became such a violent nation."

"Does all that mean you're trying to become more like the other nations in Weyard?"

"Yeah, that's pretty much it."

Another silence, broken only by the sound of slurping.

"Well, how are things going with Matthew?" I said slyly as I poured myself another cup of tea and braced myself a little bit for the answer that I was sure was coming. They looked cute together, but for some reason, there was just something about Isaac's son and Mia's daughter falling in love that I wasn't quite sure about...

Instead, however, she smiled indifferently, shrugged, and explained, "Well, it actually kind of fell through. We started dating less and less, and then what were supposed to be dates started becoming three-person hangouts with that one beastman girl from our party."

"Sveta?" I asked as I raised my eyebrows in shock, surprise, and very mild relief all at once. I hadn't really pegged Matthew and Sveta as ever being able to get that close to each other - well, maybe, given what had happened at Apollo Sanctum - but I wasn't exactly complaining either.

She shrugged again, smiled indifferently again, and looked out the window as she added, "Yeah, and soon they were dating. But you know, I'm not really feeling that bad. Looking back on it, I think our love for each other just wasn't quite genuine."

Our conversation soon strayed away from the subject of romance and we wiled away the hours with tales from the adventure. Many of these were funny stories that only one of us had been witness to - I giggled at the thought of Tyrell eating so much food at a buffet that he passed out on Karis' legs, immobilizing her for hours and subjecting her to ticklish torment at the hands of Matthew, Rief, and Amiti; she laughed out loud as I described the time Blados had almost seduced _me_ just for the heck of it, nearly succeeding until I came to my senses and chased him around the castle with only some undergarments to protect my modesty.

After a while, Karis looked out the window and gasped, "Oh!- my, it's late."

I looked and saw that the sky was now a dark shade of lavender, the sun far below the horizon. Since Tuaparang was a day's journey away, I decided to stay the night. Mia and Ivan(1) were very nice to me, as pleased as Karis that I had turned a new leaf - like my nation - and loaded with questions for the two of us. What did I think of their daughter as a fighter? What landmarks (famous and not so famous), town legends, or other oddities of Weyard and the Great Seas did Karis see during the adventure?

Finally, Mia set down her plate and said, "Mmm, that was delicious. Oh, by the way, Chalis - I'm so sorry for not telling you this earlier, but we never built a guest room into the house and each bedroom only has one bed."

"That's fine," I replied as I scraped the last bit of food off my plate. "I'll just sleep with Karis in her bed."

Instantly, I regretted my move - I now knew why Matthew and Karis together as a couple threw me off and what my feelings for Karis really were, but if we slept together it would make it so much more awkward for me to tell her. Yet, at the same time, I knew this would be my only chance for a long while.

"Well... are you OK with that, Karis?" Ivan asked, clearly just a little bit concerned.

"Yeah, that's fine. It's not the first time I've shared a bed with another girl, remember?" she replied as she smiled humorously at that last bit. As her parents chuckled - apparently, Karis' assertion was correct - I glanced sideways at my friend. I wasn't sure whether it was a hunch or Adept intuition or what, but she seemed rather open to sharing a room - a _bed_, even - with someone who had tried to seduce her friend(2) and kill her (and her party as well, but her especially) just months ago.

The two of us stood up, thanked her parents for the meal, and went upstairs to change and go to bed. At the top of the stairs, I dropped my satchel and waited for Karis to change into her PJs. As she changed, the issue of what to do about telling her turned itself over in my mind. Not only did I think it weird to tell her so early in our newfound friendship - I thought she would consider me a complete lunatic for even having... it... in the first place. But all the same, I just couldn't keep it pent up inside me any more.

"Chalis? You can come in now," she said through the door. I opened the door and stepped through to see Karis standing there, clad in a half-a-size-too-large pair of pajamas. They looked adorable on her. The pale purple material and the bright purple Jupiter Psynergy symbols dotted all over the cotton fit very well with her ever-inquisitive eyes.

"Those look perfect on you," I commented with a smile.

She smiled back and replied, "Thanks. I'll step out now so you can change."

She did so and I changed into my own pajamas - almost identical to Karis', except mine were pale pink and had pink hearts on them. When I was done, I knocked on the door to let her in.

We brushed, washed our faces, and got in bed. The next hour was a teenager-sleepover-esque chatter session as we talked about various girl topics that were popular at the moment in Weyard. Finally, Karis yawned, "I guess we should probably get to bed soon."

"Right," I said absent-mindedly. I hesitated for a second then looked at my leg and asked, "Karis?"

"Hmm?" she replied as she instantly focused her curious eyes on me.

"I've, um... got something I need to tell you," I said slowly. "I'm not quite sure how to say it, and... you'll probably think I'm crazy once I... you know, do."

"Well, just tell me, then," Karis said as she sat up on the bed and looked at me intently. "I promise I won't think you're crazy."

So I took a deep breath and told her.

Except, I didn't exactly tell her the way you would expect. Instead, I reached forward and gently eased off one of her slippers to reveal her soft, silky-smooth foot. She looked at me a little more curiously, her head cocked to one side, but otherwise remained silent. Throwing the footwear to the side, I turned back and began gently massaging and caressing Karis' foot. I kneaded her sole with the knuckles of one hand and slid my other hand's thumb up and down her toes. My wrist twitched - apparently, my mind was fighting my heart.

Karis didn't seem 100% comfortable, either, with her slight squirming and quiet grunt of discomfort. No matter how uncomfortable she really was, though, she couldn't hide the giggle that flew out of her mouth. I looked up at her and smiled as I asked, "You ticklish, Karis?"

She smiled sheepishly and nodded. I grinned mischievously as I turned my attention back, removed her other slipper, and began actively (albeit lightly and playfully) tickling her soles and toes. A steady stream of giggles erupted from her mouth as she squirmed on the bed. Gradually, I stopped tickling her and went back to massaging her feet and ankles. She closed her eyes and began rubbing my shoulders gently with her hands.

As her hands continued their work, I began running my hand up Karis' side, feeling her smooth form through the pants - and then the shirt - of her pajamas. At the same time, I began subconsciously moving closer and closer to her, until our legs touched and I practically sat on her lap(3). My hand felt her hair and abandoned its course up her back to follow the green strands. Before long, my hand rested on the back of her head, and we looked at each other.

We stayed absolutely still for as long as we could (about half a second), then closed our eyes and kissed.

Oh, _gods_, she tasted so good. I had never truly kissed someone before (sure, I had occasionally pecked someone on the cheek or head, but - never on the lips), but I already knew that I had found my absolute favorite person to do it with. Her tongue rolled around mine as we both tried to catch that luscious, savory taste in each other's mouth. Her lips were tender and gentle against my own. Her hair felt like the softest shirt you could ever imagine. And the angelic hands on the back of my head occasionally came up and gripped one (or sometimes both) of my horns, turning me on more and more each time.

I barely noticed that she was pulling off her pajama top until she broke the kiss for a few seconds to pull the cotton shirt over her head. She shook her hair (she had unbraided her ponytail for the night) to get some strands out of her eyes, then looked up and smiled modestly at me.

"Uh-" I started, somewhat distracted by her purple bra and her smoothly-curving torso.

She put a finger to my lips and whispered, "Shhh..."

With a devious smile, she gently took my hand and made a familiar spell-casting gesture. Within seconds, the door was locked for the next 12 hours, and the room's only window was locked and shuttered. She turned back to me and smiled mischievously as our love jumped to a whole new level.

* * *

I ran a hand through Karis' green hair as I looked down and admired our two heavenly bodies locked in a lovers' embrace, the covers drawn back to the far edge of the bed. _You'll be gone tomorrow,_ I reminded myself with a sigh. _Back to Tuaparang to help Spade and the High Empyror... alone with your feelings buried inside of you... separated from Karis for Iris knows how long._

I looked at her comically childish face - her closed eyes, her smooth forehead, her softly arching nose, her slightly open mouth - and smiled as my heart replied, _True. But your feelings for her will never fade, and neither will hers for you. It may take weeks, it may take months, it may even take years, but you WILL be united with her for good some day. Have patience, Chalis. Love isn't an agreement on a piece of paper that gets lost in the bottom of a drawer for years upon end. It's something more... something so much more._

I took one last look at her purple cotton panties and my own lacy, pale pink pair, then pulled the covers over us, pulled her body even closer to mine, closed my eyes, and hummed myself to sleep.

* * *

"Karis? Chalis?" Mia called as she climbed up the stairs. Arriving at the landing, she began to open the door as she said, "Come on, girls, it's time for break-"

She stopped dead at what she saw. Karis and Chalis were locked in an embrace on the bed, fast asleep and - judging from what she could see of Chalis' back - topless at the very least. As she giggled happily, Mia closed the door quietly and tip-toed back downstairs.

Ivan was seated at the table as he drank some tea he had brewed over the fireplace and read a book. When he felt his wife's hand on his shoulder, he turned, smiled up at her and asked, "Hey, Mia. What's up?"

"I just discovered a wonderful, blissful secret involving our daughter," she said, smiling widely as she sat down at the table. Once she was sure she had Ivan's attention, she leaned in and whispered, "Karis and Chalis are apparently in love with each other."

"SLPHT-!" Ivan spewed his coffee into the cup as he choked on it. Gagging, he looked up at her and asked with an amused smile, "You serious?"

She smiled, nodded, and explained what she had seen. When she was done, Ivan made a noise like a "Huh" and shook his head a little as he said, "Well - one less aspect of our daughter's life we have to extensively worry about, then."

"You mean you're not the least bit surprised, or- or disappointed, or anything?" Mia asked, somewhat surprised that her husband was going to let his daughter risk the unorthodox path of romance without the slightest doubt.

He shrugged and said, "No. I mean, I'm a little worried that she might be a source of discomfort for her community, but... you know, all the nations of Weyard are working together to be more understanding of each other in these times of crisis, so I think she'll be all right. Plus, I'm not that uncomfortable about it myself, either - I definitely had a few times in my life where I was more attracted to boys than to girls."

"Yeah, I'm sure the same could be said for me," Mia said with a smile as she stood up from her chair, leaned across the table, and kissed Ivan on the forehead. "I guess that's that, then. Come on, let's get some breakfast together for our two lovebirds."

* * *

Slowly, one by one, my senses began to awaken. It took me a while to remember where I was, but when I finally caught on, my face flushed a bright shade of red. Quickly, I pulled Karis' hands off my back, then rolled out of bed and scrambled for my possessions. I put on my bra and stood up to put on my traveling robes when I heard Karis say quietly, "...Wow."

I turned around slowly to see Karis, who was standing up on her knees on the bed and staring intently at my legs as she fastened her bra clip. Ever so slowly, she stood up fully - her eyes still downcast - and walked around the bed towards me. As she did so, she talked.

"I never knew that... feeling so intimate with - with another girl could be so... so..."

"Awkward?" I said nervously as she stopped in front of me. She looked up at me with a smile and corrected, "So good."

Before I could say anything else, she put her arms around me and her head on my shoulder. Smiling sadly, I put my arms around her and hugged her back.

Some clothes, a quick breakfast, and an hour later found the two of us outside the house as we shared the breathtaking view of Mt. Aleph and the Golden Sun hovering above it(4). We stood there awkwardly for a second - well, _I_ did(5), at any rate - before Karis said, "Well, I guess this is goodbye for now."

"I guess so," I replied. I rubbed the back of my neck, turned to her - my face downcast - and said quickly, "Look, Karis, I'm sorry about last night. We were... giddy; some things were said that shouldn't have been said... we just got carried away and before I knew it, I-"

I was starting to look up at her for the last part of my plea when she interrupted me with a demure, gentle kiss. My eyebrows raised and my eyes widened in surprise for a second, but then I closed my eyes like her and returned the affection.

We broke the kiss and opened our eyes as she said quietly, "You talk too much."

"I've heard that one before," I said with an upward twitch of my lips. "So... you're OK with all this, then?"

"Chalis, I realized something last night," she explained with a kind smile. "I realized as we were displaying our affection for each other that I've been attracted to you ever since we first met you in Kaocho. Sure, you were out to kill us, but... there was always something about you that I genuinely liked. That something was buried in the back of my mind until recently, but it's always been there, waiting. So I couldn't be happier that you love me back and I really don't give a damn that we're both girls."

I attempted to say something, but I was caught off guard by the sheer amazement her statement filled me with and ended up just standing there with my mouth open a little in shocked joy. Finally, I shook my head slightly and said, "Well - glad to hear. Should I come round again when I've got the time to spare?"

"Why don't I just come over to your continent(6) whenever _I_ can and get together with you during one of your spare breaks," she said with a sexy grin as she stepped back into the door and placed her hands on the door frame. "I'm sure you've got a bigger, more comfortable bed at your mansion of a house(6)."

"You have no idea," I replied as I shot her grin right back at her. "Goodbye, Karis."

"Goodbye, Chalis," she said with a loving smile as she closed the door and blew me a kiss.

"So tender, the healer's heart," I murmured to myself, humming a classic little Weyardian love tune as I turned and jovially walked down the path.

* * *

(1) In case you haven't caught on yet - yes, Ivan and Mia are married in this story. No comment.

(2) Long story short, this was an aspect of my plot speculation for Dark Dawn prior to the game's release where Blados and Chalis took Matthew and Co. to Tuaparang for a "friendly visit". Chalis declared that she was going to talk with everyone alone, then brought Matthew in first and tried to seduce him. Eventually, Karis came in (wearing her stunning new outfit and haircut, courtesy of Tuaparang) and snapped Matthew out of it. Chalis was holding a knife to Karis' breast, Matthew charged regardless, Chalis raised the knife - and Amiti clobbered her with a huge book from the bookshelf. Something like that, anyways XD

(3) I wasn't quite sure how to explain this, given that Chalis is at least a few years older than Karis and therefore should be quite a bit taller, but then I realized - this is Golden Sun. Everyone is the _same damn height._

(4) Another element of plot speculation - I thought the Golden Sun was an object that hung over Mt. Aleph, rather than an event. Who knows, maybe it is. If so, I don't really understand how that could work out with the normal sun, but no big deal.

(5) Looking back on it, I see absolutely no reason for Chalis to _still_ feel awkward about the situation by now. I guess it could be because she's never genuinely been in love with someone before Karis, but whatever the case, it works for their second kiss.

(6) Even after playing the game, I left it like this. The notion of Tuaparang being a giant floating airship is cool, but I just feel like it's not quite the same as a whole new landmass appearing (the fact aside that I also think it would be just plain weird living on a big, fat airplane your whole life).

* * *

**And there you have it. I hope you all enjoyed reading the very first Tendershipping fanfiction and that it has sparked an interest in the pairing for you! :D :D :D**

**Also, since this is one of the first fan-fictions I've written that got very far off the ground, any sort of constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated. Even a quick, one-sentence review telling me that you liked it would be great.**

**Read and review if you would be so kind, and thanks again!**


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